About Mortgage Talent Network

Recruiting built by a producer, for producers.

Deena Sisson sat on both sides of the desk — first as a top-producing loan officer, then as the recruiter Fortune 500 lenders trusted to build their purchase market share. She started Mortgage Talent Network because the industry deserved better than database recruiting and resume blasts.

For employers For candidates

Deena Sisson, Founder & CEO of Mortgage Talent Network

Deena’s story

From the LO desk to building branches nationwide.

Deena started where every great recruiter should start — on the loan officer desk. She learned the business by funding loans, walking files through underwriting, and earning the trust of the realtors and builders who fed her pipeline. She didn’t read about purchase mortgage. She lived it.

The transition into leadership wasn’t a pivot — it was a promotion. She opened, built, grew, and supported branches across the country, recruiting the producers who would carry them. As a multiple-time President’s Club winner, she was the recruiter Wells Fargo and Wachovia turned to when they needed someone who could actually grow purchase market share, not just fill seats.

After two decades inside the lenders, she saw the same pattern over and over: companies hiring on production numbers alone, candidates being treated like commodities, and both sides walking away frustrated within twelve months. She knew the work could be done differently — and that the people doing it well were the ones who’d actually originated, recruited, and managed.

Mortgage Talent Network was the answer. Deena founded the firm to do recruiting the way it should be done: relationships before resumes, character before credentials, and long-term fit before the next quick close. Every candidate is interviewed personally. Every introduction comes with a written point of view. And nothing leaves her desk unless she would hire them herself.

How we work

The principles every conversation runs through.

Relationships over transactions

Hiring is expensive. Turnover is more expensive. We optimize for the placement that’s still working two and five years from now.

Character before credentials

Production numbers tell us what someone did. Conversations tell us who they are. We weight the second more heavily.

Discretion by default

Confidential by design — your name, your numbers, and your interest never leave our system without your explicit OK.

Industry-only focus

We recruit mortgage talent exclusively. No generalist staffing pipeline, no quotas to hit on roles we don’t understand.

Transparency both ways

Candidates hear the truth about the role. Clients hear the truth about the candidate. No spin in either direction.

A written point of view

Every candidate we submit comes with Deena’s own write-up — what they’re great at, where they’d struggle, and why they fit.

Meet the team

The team that makes it all happen.

Wendy Sattam, M.A.

Lead Recruiter & Senior Talent Advisor

Wendy has spent years talking with loan officers and mortgage sales leaders about their careers — what’s working, what’s not, and what they want next.

She doesn’t believe in convincing someone to leave a company simply because an opportunity is available. Her approach is to understand the full picture and help candidates think honestly about whether making a move is truly in their best interest.

Wendy holds a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, and that background influences the way she recruits. She uses concepts from motivational interviewing, along with thoughtful questions and active listening, to help candidates identify what matters most to them.

When a move makes sense, Wendy helps candidates look beyond compensation and consider the leadership, culture, support, expectations, and long-term potential of the opportunity. She also works closely with MTN’s lender and banking partners to find experienced professionals who are a strong fit for their teams.

Wendy values honesty, confidentiality, and long-term relationships. Sometimes the best decision is a new opportunity. Other times, it’s staying where you are. Her goal is to help candidates make that decision with a clear understanding of their options.

Outside of MTN, Wendy is an author, career consultant, and personal development coach. Her first book, You’re Qualified. So Why Aren’t You Getting Hired? A Recruiter’s Honest Guide to What Candidates Are Rarely Told, is available now. Learn more at wendysattam.com.

wendy@mortgagetalent.net

Benjamin Murad

Career Coach & Marketing

Marketing and partnerships across the brand. Helps spread MTN's mission and supports candidates positioning themselves in a noisy market.

ben@mortgagetalent.net

Ethan Port

Talent Partner

Joined MTN after five years across sales, marketing, and investor relations. Pairs analytical rigor with sharp follow-through — clients and candidates always know exactly where they stand.

ethan@mortgagetalent.net

Jerry Sisson

Fractional COO / CIO / CISO / CAIO

30+ years of enterprise technology leadership — across IBM, HPE, MicroFocus, and a string of innovative startups — applied to making a small specialized recruiting firm punch well above its weight.

Runs MTN’s CRM, candidate intelligence pipeline, Recruitee integrations, and the AI plumbing behind everything Deena ships — so she spends her time on people instead of paperwork.

Also Co-Founder of EdgeRealm.ai, focused on responsible AI, GRC, and data sovereignty at the edge.

jerry@mortgagetalent.net

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